


Married Couple Thing

by sensiblekitty



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Borussia Dortmund, Cute, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-25 00:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4940431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensiblekitty/pseuds/sensiblekitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A flashback from when Ilkay learnt to use chopsticks with Shinji's help (with an amusing situation inbetween), followed by present-time at the end, during the last international break.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Married Couple Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic inspired by Ilkay's Instagram, from when he posted a photo of him in a Japanese restaurant! <3  
> 

That had been the first time Shinji and Ilkay went out just the two of them through Dortmund. Shinji already knew the town, because he has been living there for a year, so he knew the best places to visit. Ilkay, on the other hand, has recently arrived from Nuremberg and was adapting to his new routine. Both of them shared the same apartment with Ivan and since the first moment the three of them met, they related to many aspects, which made their relationship easier. In the way they dressed, in their hobbies. They loved going out and know new places. As Ivan's parents home was relatively close, he spent his weekends with his family. Because of this, Ilkay and Shinji grew closer together. In fact, they were almost always together. During training, wherever one went, the other was around not too far. In the matches, they stretched together and celebrated their goals together. In their free times, they watched movies and played games.

  
The three of them had planned to visit a famous Japanese restaurant in Dortmund. Ivan, however, had to solve personal matters and cancelled in the last hour.

“I'm sorry, guys, I really won't be able to go with you. I have to go home now because of family."

“It's okay, Ivan. We can reschedule for next week." Shinji replied and Ilkay agreed.

“No, don't cancel it because of me. Go and tell me if it's worth the price.”

“Really? You won't be upset, will you?”

“Nope. We can settle for another day." Ivan headed for the door. "See ya on Sunday night!”

“See ya, Ivan!” Ilkay waved to the friend.

“Have a nice weekend, Ivan!” Shinji beckoned.

  
At night, there they were, the two of them, sat in front of the other, in the fancy Japanese restaurant. Shinji felt comfortable. The table, the way the food was arranged, the cutlery. Pratically everything reminded him of his Japanese home.

“Thanks for the food.” Shinji said, opening his chopstick and taking a bit of rice.

The food tasted great. Shinji took some slices of sashimi (raw fish) and plunged them onto his little plate with wasabi and soy sauce. He was about to eat them, when he noticed Ilkay had difficult to hold the chopsticks. He observed that everytime the flatmate tried to get a sashimi slice, it slipped down.

“Argh, I can't use this thing.” Ilkay groaned frustrated.

“Calm down, Ilkay. Let me show you how to use them." Shinji took a pair of chopsticks. “You have to hold like this.” Shinji made a gesture demonstrating how he held the wooden instrument. “Because if you hold like this," he mimicked the way Ilkay held."The food really slips."

“Okay, I'm gonna try out.”

Ilkay attempted on copying Shinji's gesture, but still felt it difficult. Despite trying, he couldn't get a hold of the chopsticks. His hands trembled.

“Shit, this thing is harder than I thought.” Ilkay grumbled.

“You should have told me you didn't know how to use hashi. I would have taught you before we came here. We would have trained together.”

“But I know! I mean, I thought I have learnt.” Ilkay replied shyly. He wanted to impress Shinji, that's why he didn't ask for his help. Instead, Ilkay relied on internet tips and videos that taught to use the damn chopsticks. He trained a bit and even succeeded two times, and he was proud of his progress. He thought he could be able to repeat the gesture, but the anxiety wasn't helping him at the moment. “The way you do it makes it seem so easy." Ilkay contemplated Shinji.

“It's not that easy for people who have always used folk and knife.” Shinji consoled him. “Even I, in my childhood, had difficulties to learn.”

“When we are children, it's natural to have difficulties to learn to use them, but we learn faster than we thought. However, when we are adults, it's another story...” Ilkay shrunk his shoulders discouraged. “Do they have western flatwares here?”

“I dunno. Let's talk with someone who works here.”

They called the manager and explained the situation. The manager apologized and told them the restaurant didn't work with western cutlery.

“You know what? I'm gonna use eat with my hands.” Ilkay was impatient and his growling stomach wasn't helping.

“Hey, hey, wait up there.” Shinji made a gesture preventing Ilkay from eating. He took Ilkay's chopsticks, picked a slice of sashimi and immersed it in the sauce . Ilkay followed Shinji's moviment with curious eyes. “Open your mouth.”

“What are you doin-?” Ilkay was astonished, but he didn't have time to talk, because Shinji put the sashimi's slice into Ilkay's mouth.

"Does it taste good?” Shinji smiled relaxed, just contemplating the flatmate.

“Yes, it's delicious! But you didn't have to do it.” Ilkay pointed to the chopsticks.

“It's awful to eat raw fish with your hands. It slips, you could get dirty with the sauce. You could even eat sushi with your hands, but still...in the restaurant, it's a bit rude, don't you think so?" Shinji commented, though he admitted that he does eats sushi like that in his home.

“Yes, but will you feed me and not eat your food?" Ilkay felt a bit bothered and embarrassed, because they were in a public place and soon people would notice them. Although, deep down, he was enjoying the idea of being fed by Shinji.

“Don't worry about it. I can feed us both.” Shinji winked.

“Are you serious? I doubt so.” Ilkay challenged his friend.

Shinji stared at Ilkay. He took two pairs of chopsticks.

“Open your mouth that here comes a sushi!". With one of his hands, Shinji fed Ilkay. With the other, he took his own chopsticks and eat a piece of tempura.

Ilkay observed Shinji speechless. Each time he knew something new about Shinji, he was impressed by the Japanese boy's abilities.

“Amazing. How can you do this?”

“I have superpowers.” Shinji gestured with his hands, mimicking the motion magicians do before their tricks. “Just kidding. I'm used to doing that. I mean, I do that a lot with my nephew."

“Oh, okay.” For a few instants, Ilkay almost believed Shinji was some kind of magician.

While both had their food, a tension installed between them. Their eyes kept meeting, as if one's movement hipnotized the other. Ilkay didn't want to admit, but each time Shinji approached him, he felt his heart beat faster. Little could he imagine Shinji also felt the same, but didn't demonstrate it. Ilkay concluded that such reaction had to do with his anxiety, as they were in a public place. That's why he decided to try once more to use the damn chopsticks.

“Shinji, I'm very thankful for your kindness, but...Could you teach me again to use the chopsticks? I don't want to bother you.”

Shinji looked disappointed.

“You don't bother me, Ilkay, but...Sure, I can teach you.” He cleared his throat. “Let's do this: you follow my movements.” Shinji pointed.

“Okay.”

This time, Shinji made a step-by-step demonstration, allowing Ilkay to realize what he did wrong. Shinji sat beside Ilkay, held his arm and corrected his posture, in a way so that Ilkay, at the end, eventually managed to pick a bit of food.

“Like this, right?” Ilkay grinned, waiting for Shinji's approval.

“Yup, exactly.” Shinji agreed. “See? It wasn't that difficult.”

“I was holding the wrong way.” Ilkay realized.

“But now you have learnt.” Shinji beamed proud with his apprentice.

“Thanks to a skillful samurai.” Ilkay grinned brightly.

“Don't say that.” Shinji blushed. "The merit is yours for your persistence."

“Thank you so much, Shinji. You rock." Ilkay raised his hand as calling Shinji to high-five, to which he corresponded, slapping both palms together.

"You are welcome, Ilkay."

The tense vibe has disappeared and they didn't comment about what happened before. The funniest fact is that towards the months, this gesture of 'one feeding the other'  became normal and inserted into their habits. Ivan used to mock them, telling that Ilkay and Shinji acted like a married couple. They didn't care though, because they felt comfortable with each other.

* * *

Ilkay never forgot that day. Whenever he goes to a restaurant that has chopsticks, he remembers it and smiles fooly. This time isn't different. Four years later, in another Japanese restaurant, he is hanging out with some team mates from the national team, as they were on international duty. He grinned widely and took a photo of the table to show Shinji later.

“What makes you smile so much, Ilkay? Did something good happen?” Matze asked amused.

“Oh, I just remembered someone very special.” Ilkay kept smiling.

“It's Shinji.” Mats replied.

“It's not Shinji.” Ilkay rolled his eyes. "Why would it be him?"

“You, in a Japanese restaurent, smiling? It's way too obvious! You always have this stupid smile.” Mats mocked Ilkay. "It took me a while to figure out, but I finally did when Shinji returned to BVB and the whole team went to eat in that fancy restaurant in Dortmund."

“Yes, it makes sense. You are always together.” Matze commented, as he realized the familiarity between the two teammates.

“And you, Matze, always hanging out with Jonas and Erik? What about you, Mats, who has this gloomy face because Benni is not here and you miss him?”

“I...It's not aas y-y-ou tttttthinnnnnk!” Matze stuttered and blushed red like a tomato. He couldn't defend himself, because yes, it is true that he, Jonas and Erik shared a great friendship, but something else happened among the three of them, and they promised to keep a secret.

“Benni and I are just great friends. Of course I miss him, as much as I miss every player who wasn't called up” Mats retorted Ilkay's question calmly, because he was already used to his teammates jokes. 

“Yeah, fine, I believe so much in your words.” Ilkay rolled his eyes. “But if that's your definition of friendship, then Shinji and I are also just great friends.” He said defiantly, warning them not to mock him.

“Whatever, buddy. Let's forget this talk and eat.” Mats suggested.

This way, they closed the subject. Ilkay shrugged, but kept grinning like a fool.

**Author's Note:**

> definitions from the Oxford Dictionary:  
> tempura = a Japanese dish of fish, shellfish or vegetables, fried in batter.  
> wasabi = a Japanese plant with a thick green root which tastes like strong horseradish and is used in cookery, especially in powder or paste form as an accompaniment to raw fish.  
> \---  
> -Thanks for reading!  
> -Kudos and comments are very welcome! :)


End file.
